Linoleum display rack



961 l E. J. SACKS 2,996,191

LINOLEUM DISPLAY RACK Filed Aug. 12, 1959 v D a Edward J Sac/rs INVENTOR.

United States Patent 2,996,191 LINOLEUM DISPLAY RACK Edward J. Sacks, Main and- Laubach Ave., Northampton, Pa. Filed Aug. 12,1959, Ser. No. 833,234 2 Claims. (Cl.21'144) The present invention generally relates to a display rack and more particularly to a display rack for linoleum.

Linoleum generally is distributed in the form of rolls with the length of the roll varying as to the particular width of the linoleum. Due to the particular properties of linoleum, the rolls of linoleum are normally stored and displayed while setting on end. When the rolls of linoleum are setting on one end, they are highly unstable in that a lateral force on the linoleum will quite often cause the linoleum to fall over. There have been actual incidents of persons and especially children causing the rolls of linoleum to be knocked over thus creating a very dangerous situation since the rolls of linoleum are quite heavy. Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a display rack having safety features which will engage a plurality of rolls of linoleum at the upper ends thereof for preventing the rolls of linoleum from being knocked over.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a linoleum display rack which is flexible in its orientation in that it may be employed as a wall type rack connected to the wall or as an island type rack suspended from the overhead with the racks being capable of interconnection for orientation in various manners for adapting the rack to the particular display area while affording ample rack space for safely holding a plurality of rolls of linoleum in vertical position.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a linoleum display rack which is provided with a shelf for supporting accessories normally employed with linoleum such as waxes, polishes and the like.

Yet another feature of the present invention is to provide a linoleum display rack constructed of readily obtainable structural components whereby the over-all cost of the rack Will be relatively small with the rack being extremely simple in construction, easy to install, safe, dependable, long lasting and otherwise well adapted for its particular purposes.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the display rack of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the construction of FIGURE 1 with portions of the rolls of linoleum being broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a detail sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 33 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the details of construction of the overhead supporting member and the connection to the rack;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse, vertical sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 44 of FIGURE 3 illustrating the structure of the clamp for clamping the support pipe to the rack illustrating the frictional engagement therebetween;

FIGURE 5 is a detail sectional view taken substantially upon a plane passing along section line 55 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the structure of the mechanism for engagement with the ends of the rolls of linoleum; and

FIGURE 6 is a transverse, sectional detailed view taken 2 substantially upon a plane passing along section line 6-6 of FIGURE 1 illustrating the mechanism for interconnecting the linoleum racks, with similar linoleum racks spaced therefrom.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the linoleum rack of the present invention for engagement with a plurality of vertically disposed rolls of linoleum 12 which are provided with the usual hollow center. The rack 10 includes a pair of parallel and spaced horizontal rails 14 and 16 which may be conveniently'of tubular pipe members with one end of the tubular pipe members 14 and 16 being interconnected by a transverse angle iron member 18 which has the horizontal flange thereof extending under the ends of the tubular pipe members forming the rails 14 and 16, and the upright flange thereof engaging the ends of the tubular pipe members forming the rails 14 and 16. Intermediate the ends of the rails 14 and 1-6, a transverse strap member 20 may be provided which is parallel with and in the same horizontal plane as the horizontal flange of the angle iron member 18. At the other ends of the rails 14 and 16, there is provided a transverse angle iron member 22 arranged in parallel relation to the angle iron member 18 and having the flanges disposed in the same manner. A semi-circular member 24 interconnects and forms a continuation of the tubular pipe members forming the rails 14 and 16. Thus, the rack is formed substantially of a U-shaped frame member having transverse angle iron members 18 and 22 and transverse support members 20 which cooperate to receive and support a shelf (not shown) which shelf may be in the form of a wooden member or the like for supporting various articles such as waxes, polishes, or the like.

The rails 14 and 16 and the U-shaped portion 24 are each provided with apertures 26 disposed in longitudinally spaced relation which apertures receive a depending pin or rod 28 having a knob 30 screw-threaded onto the upper end thereof whereby the rods 28 will engage the ends of the linoleum rolls 12.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1 two of the rack units are disposed in end-to-end relation with the angle iron members 18 secured together by bolts 32 which extend through the vertical flanges of the angle iron members 18. In one use the racks 10 will be disposed in backto-back alignment but in another use, the vertical flanges of the angle iron members 18 may be used to engage a wall surface with the bolts being used for bolting the vertical flange of the angle member 18 to the wall surface with the rails 14 and 16 extending outwardly in a horizontal manner therefrom.

Adjacent the outer end of the rack 10 and attached to the angle iron member 22 is an elongated vertical tubular member 34 having a flange 36 on the lower end thereof for engagement with the floor and which telescopically receives a tubular member 38 having a flange 40 thereon for mounting on the over-head ceiling. A setscrew 42 is provided for retaining the tubular members 38 and 34 in longitudinally adjusted position.

The tubular member 34 extends in intersecting relation to the angle iron member 22 and a U-shaped clamp strap 44 is attached to the vertical flange of the angle iron member 22 by virtue of bolts 46 and the flanges 48 of the strap 44 are slightly spaced from the vertical flange of the angle iron member 22 so that when the bolts 46 are tightened, the tubular member 34 will be rigidly and frictionally clamped to the angle iron member 22. Thus by employing the setscrew 42 and the clamp bolts 46, the orientation and vertical adjustment of the rails 14 and 16 and the rail 24 may be easily set for the desired height for receiving a particular length of linoleum roll.

The racks 10 may be interconnected with adjacent racks by a tubular connecting member 50 which has a pair of longitudinally extending flanges 52 on the ends thereof for extending over and under the rails 14 or 16 respectively and for attachment thereto by a bolt 54. The connecting member 50 may also receive the depending rods 28 with the knob 30 on the upper end thereof so that the connecting members 50 may also hold linoleum rolls. The other end of the connecting member 50 will be engaged with an adjacent rack 10 thus permitting the racks 10 to be orientated in various manners and interconnected for supporting a number of linoleum rolls and if two of the assemblies shown in FIGURE 1 are disposed in parallel spaced relation and the entire assembly is filled with linoleum rolls, then there will be substantially a U-shaped bay formed so that the various linoleum rolls will be displayed in a neat and attractive manner thereby enabling prospective customers to readily review the various colors, patterns and the like for comparative purposes.

The various components of the invention may be constructed of readily obtainable material such as tubular structural elements and other structural elements as described with the structural elements being of lustrous material or the like thereby providing a highly attractive display rack.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A linoleum rack comprising a frame of hollow tubular construction, said frame including a pair of generally parallel rails, each rail having a plurality of longitudinally spaced vertical apertures therein, a U-shaped end portion interconnecting the rails at one end thereof,

a plurality of transverse frame members extending between the rails of the frame and being provided with horizontally aligned flanges for receiving a shelf within the confines of the frame, one of said transverse members being disposed at the free ends of the rails opposite from the U-shaped end portion and including a vertical flange for engagement with a similar vertical flange on another identical rack when in end to end relation or for engagement with a wall surface, another of said transverse members being disposed adjacent the U-shaped end portion of the frame, a vertically disposed, longitudinally telescopic standard adapted to be connected to a floor and an overhead support and extending vertically adjacent said other transverse member, clamp means adjustably locking said other transverse member to said standard for supporting the frame at ditferent elevations thereby enabling the frame to be disposed adjacent to and above the upper end of a roll of linoleum, rods ex tending through certain of the apertures and depending below the frame, said rods being of substantially constant cross-sectional area for removal from the apertures when not in use, a handle on the upper end of each of the rods for manipulation thereof and for preventing the rods from dropping all the way through the apertures when in use, the lower ends of the rods adapted to extend into the hollow end of a vertically disposed roll of linoleum thereby preventing the roll of linoleum from being knocked over.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 together with a laterally extending connecting member attached to said frame for connecting a pair of identical racks in side by side relation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 970,046 Hampton Sept. 13, 1910 1,587,234 Holmes June 1, 1926 1,661,932 Elliott Mar. 6, 1928 

